Unmedicated Births with and Without the Urge to Push, with April Teel

April Teel has had two unmedicated vaginal births, one at a freestanding birth center in southern California and the other at a hospital in North Dakota. Independently of birth setting, the biggest difference in these experiences came down to the pushing stage, with one being actively managed, and the other being completely dictated by her body, allowing her to experience the Fetal Ejection Reflex. Check it out.

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What we talked about:

• If my mom could do it, so can I
• And suddenly we were pregnant
• Finding the right place to birth
• Contractions and a movie
• “It’s very important that you get some rest.”
• That time when you bolted into the birthing center, stripped and got in the tub
• Fully dilated but no urge to push
• Push here, push there, push everywhere
• The hormonal high of meeting her baby!
• Second birth in a new city
• The fears of having to do it again
• Needing to tell someone that it has started!
• Running into your doctor while in labor at the home improvement store… as one does
• Stand up and ramp up!
• A nice car ride with the labor playlist
• No tub? Walk in, strip, get into the shower
• Finally at Laborland
• Needing to push, where is the doctor?
• The head is born in the caul
• Her very colicky and alert newborns
• What would she do differently?

Meeting her second son!

April’s resources and links to info mentioned on the show*:

• Mama Natural Visual Birth Plan
• Kellymom.com
• TheBusinessOfBeingBorn.com
• Evidencebasedbirth.com

Books:

• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
• Birth Matters: A Midwife’s Manifesta, by Ina May Gaskin
• Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
• Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond, by Nancy Bardacke
• La Leche League’s The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West and Teresa Pitman
• Real Food for Pregnancy, by Lily Nichols

Leaning over shower chair

Related podcast episodes:

• The Problem with Due Dates, with Gail Hart
• Fertility Before & After Pregnancy, with Emily Varnam & Kelsey Knight
• Rethinking the Pushing Stage, with Whapio
• Chiropractic Care, with Dr. Elliot Berlin

Resting in between contractions

With her husband and second son

Laboring in the glorious birth center tub during her first birth

Taking her first son home from the birth center

All photos courtesy of April Teel

About April Teel

April is a mama to 2 young, busy boys. Her background is in agricultural business, but during her pregnancy and following the birth of her first son she discovered a new passion. She loves all things pregnancy and birth, is a childbirth educator in-training, and hopes to be a future birth worker. April also enjoys running with her boys, spending time with her family, traveling, wine tasting, the sunshine, and watching movies with her husband.

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).